Ocean Research Funds for Universities
by Chelsea Howard
ST. JOHN’S (CUP)—New federal
funding has been released to aid
oceans-based research at universities
around Canada. The funding
will provide opportunities for Canadian
students to conduct more
comprehensive studies in terms of
developing tools to better manage
the world’s oceans.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of
Canada (NSERC) has awarded
over $580k for the incentive. The
grant will, among other things, enhance
international collaboration
on ocean science studies.
NSERC is the main federal
funding agency for natural sciences
research at universities in
Canada. One of the goals of the recently-
awarded funding is to unite
global oceans researchers all over
the world in order to process new
research and, hopefully, influence
ocean policy.
The Memorial University of
Newfoundland is the leading
university on the NSERC Canadian
Healthy Oceans Network
(CHONe), an organization involved
in bringing together ocean
researchers from across Canada.
Paul Snelgrove, of Memorial
University, is the national director
of CHONe. “The funding is
not for new research, but rather
to enhance the ongoing research
projects in the CHONe Network.
Students can learn new techniques
and new strategies for bringing together
ocean research and policy,”
says Snelgrove.
With the current geopolitical
climate, Snelgrove feels that it is
important now more than ever
for students to become involved
in working alongside some of the
world’s most renowned oceansbased
researchers.
“The network is working with
[the Department of] Fisheries and
Oceans to develop a suite of science
research tools that will help us
bring a closer link between science
and ocean policy in Canada,” says
Snelgrove.
Snelgrove says that the funding
is coming now because the federal
government has recognized the
benefit of uniting ocean researchers
around the world in order to
work together on issues that concern
oceans on a global scale. “We
can learn from each other and
develop better approaches if we
see what doesn’t work, and more
importantly, what does. On the
question of ocean research, I think
relevance is greater than ever,” he
said.
Snelgrove says the science community
now recognizes that the
complexity of oceanic ecosystems
means that conducting research
species-by-species is no longer
feasible. According to him, agencies
around the world are working
toward more tailored ecosystembased
management.
The department of Fisheries
and Oceans has an ambitious
mandate to fulfill with Canada’s
Oceans Act, and the move toward
ecosystem-based management,
according to Snelgrove. The only
way they can get closer to these objectives
is to work with scientists
at universities and other labs. “It
is a very interesting time to do research
here in Newfoundland: Just
about everybody recognizes the
importance of ocean research.”